Microsoft has erected a gigantic Surface in London's Trafalgar Square, with a roughly 383-inch display. Visitors can walk up to the oversized Surface and stomp on the attached jumbo keyboard to interact with apps.

Microsoft says the decision to drop the 'RT' branding from its second generation Surface tablet was a move made to address consumer confusion between the scaled down, tablet-optimised operating system and its regular Windows 8.1 OS.

Don't let all the talk about service synergies and sales teams fool you: Microsoft gobbled up Nokia to ensure Windows Phone's ongoing survival and bolster the "devices" portion of its newly refocused "devices and services" business.

The Acer Iconia W3 flips Windows computing on its head, rotating the screen into an 8.1-inch, easy-to-hold, portrait form factor. This may seem like a trivial improvement, but it's more significant than you might think.

Microsoft announced that Outlook 2013 RT will be coming to Windows RT, along with the Windows 8.1 update. Sales of Windows RT tablets like the Surface RT have been underwhelming thus far, but Outlook will change that.

Microsoft is super-sizing the storage on its Surface Pro tablet. There's a big catch with this upgrade, however: The newly expanded gigs (and a handful of other nifty extras) are only available in Japan--at least for now.

In a blog post yesterday, Microsoft confirmed the availability of the Surface Pro in Australia. The long-awaited Windows 8 tablet will be ready for purchase locally from Thursday 30 May, either from the Microsoft Store or from retailers Harvey Norman...

The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.

My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.

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